US Department of Labor cites Illinois utility construction company for repeated exposure to trenching hazards

-
US Department of Labor cites Illinois utility construction company for repeated exposure to trenching hazards CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Frankfort-based utility construction company for repeatedly exposing employees to excavation safety hazards after federal investigators observed employees working in an unprotected trench.The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an investigation of Always Underground LLC as part of its National Emphasis Program on Trenching after witnessing employees working in an unprotected trench deeper than eight feet.OSHA cited the employer for three repeat violations for failing to provide workers with a safe means of egress, to install a trench protective system that would protect against cave-ins, and to keep excavated or other materials and equipment at least 2 feet from the edge. Additionally, the agency cited the employer for a serious violation for failing to provide workers with protective hardhats ...
Post a Comment

Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government

-
Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government
Date of action:                       Dec. 10, 2024Type of action:                      SentencingEmployers:                            Mauricio Baiense, owner, Contract Framing Builders Inc.                                                     407R Mystic Ave. Suite 34B, Medford, MA 02155Allegations:                            In April 2024, Baiense pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, seven counts of failure to collect and pay over taxes, one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of making false statements. When questioned under oath at a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration hearing about a fatal workplace incident involving an employee of Contract Framing Builders that occurred in March 2021, Baiense made false statements to a federal investigator, claiming the deceased employee did not work for him.Resolution:                            Mauricio Baiense was sentenced in federal district court to 18 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Baiense was also ordered to pay $2,824,577 in restitution to the U.S.                                          Quote:                                     “When employers make false statements to OSHA investigators to cover up unsafe practices, they leave employees exposed to workplace injuries and deaths,” said Acting Regional Administrator Jeffrey Erskine in Boston. “We are grateful to our staff, investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, for the hard work they put in to ensure Mauricio Baiense will be held criminally accountable for his deceit.”Court:                                     U.S. District Court for the District of MassachusettsDocket Number:                    22-CR-10148                                                                                                                                                # # # Media Contact:James C. Lally, 617-565-2074, lally.james.c@dol.govRelease Number:  24-2566-BOS

Published at December 31, 2024 at 04:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proper planning, safeguards could have prevented New Bedford dock collapse, US Department of Labor inspection finds

-
Proper planning, safeguards could have prevented New Bedford dock collapse, US Department of Labor inspection finds BRAINTREE, MA – A Connecticut marine and heavy construction contractor could have prevented the October 2023 collapse of a 200-foot section of pier on Hervey Tichon Avenue in New Bedford — which plunged five workers into the Acushnet River and injured two of them — by adhering to legally required safety standards, a U.S. Department of Labor inspection has determined. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Mohawk Northeast Inc. of Plantsville did not determine if the pier’s walking and working surfaces had the strength and structural integrity to support employees safely with the weight of materials and equipment on it. OSHA issued the company a willful citation and assessed $161,323 in proposed penalties.The agency also proposed an additional $53,004 in penalties for four serious violations related to potential fall, d...
Read more